Fauna in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: 10 Awesome Creatures from Star Wars

It's no secret that I am a Star Wars fanatic. I have seen the movies a million times, watch The Clone Wars religiously, collect (and read) the comics, and have almost all of the novels. Among my items I have several R2-D2s, a stuffed Yoda (makes a great pillow), and God knows how many action figures. As I write this I am currently drinking coffee out of a Boba Fett mug. So to say that I am a fan is something of an understatement. I got to thinking about how many non-sentient critters live in the Galaxy Far, Far Away... and this is just the tip of the iceberg. Let me state that all of the "animals" presented here are (for the most part) considered non-sentient. Wookiees, Ewoks, Hutts, and the like will not be covered as they are intelligent, sentient beings--though some are definitely smarter than others.

11 Amazing Geek Home Theaters

A few weeks ago, we looked at some seriously amazing scifi-inspired homes and rooms, many of which were home theaters. Now it’s time to explore the true variety of home cinemas to appreciate how individualized they can become. If you love the Golden Era of the Silver Screen, you’ll definitely love this great King Kong home theater set with the great ape’s face over the screen and his two hands for seats. This awesome piece of home décor was designed by Tom Spina and Richard Riley and fabricated by Richard and James Riley.

8 Amazing Drowned Buildings

Buildings of different purposes, rising out of lakes and rivers, submerged in gallons of water - the places where people once lived and worked, a homes to weeds and fishes now. These buildings were flooded and drowned by men's own doing, in their hurry to change nature's path for dams and reservoirs. Churches, monasteries, palaces and fortresses are usually occur as partly-submerged structures, which are popular among photographers and tourists.

The 15 Most Irreverent Television Shows of All Time

That Top 10 list by our guest poster @thesurfreport earlier this week was, suffice to say, a little opinionated. Inspired, we’ve come up with a few of our own lists, starting with today’s list of the most irreverent shows of all time (that you can get online, at least). What used to be strictly late-night TV has become primetime, while the primetime our parents remember has become pre-noon filler. Average sitcoms, dramas, reality and game shows may still hold the lion’s share of cable time slots, but history’s proven that it’s the highly irreverent shows that are forever remembered. These are 15 of the greatest shows that have played by a different set of rules.

8 Ways to Avoid the 10% Early Withdrawal Fee on Your IRA

Many IRA owners are aware they can be hit hard with penalty fees if they withdraw money early. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid these fees if an emergency or other qualifying situation arises. Before we begin, let me say that even with these allowances, you should make every effort to avoid taking money out of your retirement accounts early, especially if you are young. By withdrawing money, you are losing decades of tax-free compounding which can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars by the time you retire.

10 Great Scam Baiting Operations

If you’ve checked your email anytime in the last twenty years, you’ve likely been subjected to appeals from mysterious foreign nationals promising you money for nothing. Or, more accurately, a whole lot of money for only a little of yours — wired internationally to someone you don’t know. Most of these scams involve you supplying seed money, or disclosing confidential data used to deplete your savings account. While these cons are usually recognizable and safely ignored, enough suckers are fooled to make the effort profitable for the criminals who have no fear of legal retribution. Fortunately, a new breed of counterspy, the scam baiter, has risen to our defense. Aware they can’t stop the legions of online con men, these brave souls do their best to waste as much of the scammer’s time and resources as is humanly possible. The results are often hilarious. Submitted for your approval are 10 clever and involved scam baiting operations. Be sure to follow the source links if you can, because the transcripts are too lengthy to publish in this format.

10 Things Italy Does Better Than Anywhere Else

Pizza, pasta, Verdi, the Coliseum, runway models. We know Italy does some things incomparably well. But travelers to the elegant boot don't just want to eat spaghetti, deal with opera and gawk at old ruins. Beyond the clichés, you'll find 10 other surprising ways in which Italy shines.

7 Reliable Sites To Do A Quick Free Anti-Virus Scan

It’s highly likely that you’ve had some sort of experience with a computer virus in the past. If not, then lucky you – but you can never be too safe, especially if you’re running Windows. Online free anti virus scan apps have been around for a while, and whilst they’re no match for standalone software they certainly have their uses. Perhaps you’re on an unfamiliar PC that’s acting a little strange? Or maybe your existing software has been disabled, and you’ve frantically restarted in Safe Mode looking for a solution. Below you will find 4 websites to check and verify that your PC is virus free, and 3 to upload and check individual files to help prevent an outbreak

5 Actors That Got Stabbed And Lived

This article is going to be somewhat irresponsible, and I fully accept that. You see, not only did each of these actors get stabbed and lived, but I truly believe that fact makes them badass. Being an actor and getting stabbed is the actor version of “being a surfer and getting bitten by a shark.” If you live to tell about it, you are immediately propelled in status to something far cooler and more culturally significant than you were BEFORE you were stabbed. Not many of us know people who got stabbed and lived to brag about it, but now thanks to this article, we can PRETEND we do, and further our own personal delusions, which is always fun. Also, no matter HOW AWESOME each of these stories sounds, please do not go get stabbed after reading this. You will find it really isn’t worth it. Unless you are an actor. If you are an actor, totally go get stabbed. It almost guarantees “actor cred.”

8 Inflatable Military Decoys

From the ground, these inflatable tanks, missile launchers and planes look like children’s toys. Yet from the air, these objects are almost indistinguishable from the real thing, complete with accurate thermal signatures over areas such as windows. Think what fun you could have playing havoc with Google maps and some of these.

14 Horribly Overused Photography Tricks

Photography has potential to be both the most equalizing and polarizing art form imaginable. All you really need to get started is a camera — any will do — and an ability to understand what looks good. On the other hand, there are people who swear that you need 50 lenses, a full flash setup and at least a half-dozen SLR bodies before you could even begin to take it seriously as a hobby. Yet somehow, for all the infinite variety that photography should offer us, we see the same things over and over. The same photos, the same tricks, the same clichéd, hackneyed shots. These are the worst offenders.

These 10 States Charge Extra Fees for Electric Cars

The freebie-filled joys of electric car ownership are fading fast. Nine states now levy extra registration fees on EVs, and by 2017, Michigan will be the 10th, with a half-dozen more governments seeking to make up for lost gasoline taxes. It’s a cash grab—or rather, some repayment for the free parking, free charging, HOV lane access, emissions waivers, four-figure tax credits, and straight-up rebates EV buyers have been reaping for years. Battery-electric cars may rack up utility bills with state fees, but they’re not paying a cent toward the road maintenance (and sometimes, other political shenanigans) that state motor fuel taxes fund. To that end, nine states are charging between $50 and $300 on top of normal registration renewal fees, or in some cases, a separate annual fee.